Welcome to the idieh design GIRL TALK SERIES! We’ve made it our mission to guide brides in their wedding journey with some legit advice about wedding stationery, planning, and all things in between.
We want every bride’s experience to be as smooth as possible. So we’ve gathered all the best tips and advice you could possibly need to help plan the wedding of your dreams. Find more tips & tricks here.
Once you and your fiance have made the engagement official (Hello Bling!) you might be asking yourself, when do I send out my save the dates?
There are a few things you should keep in mind when you are ready to get started on your save the dates and we’ve got the need-to-knows all in one place.
SETTING THE DATE
First and foremost, you need to decide on a date. This can be a date that is special to you and your fiance, like the date of your first date, or it can be a date that will suit the wedding planning process. Or maybe you choose a date based on the season. (Let’s be honest, we don’t advise getting married in July in Arizona. Woah hotness.) Once you have a date in mind, make sure the venue of your choice has your date available. If they give you a thumbs up, and you’ve officially booked your venue, you are ready to roll!
TAKE ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS
Smile! Once the date is set, get out there and have some photos taken. An engagement photo shoot is not only a wonderful way to commemorate the engagement, but your photos can also be used on your save the dates. It is important to note though that you don’t HAVE to use your engagement photos on your save the dates to announce the date of the celebration, but it’s definitely an option.
WEBSITE
Do you plan to have a website where guests can go for all the deets of the big day? If your guests will be traveling, regardless of location, it is good etiquette to include further information (such as hotels) or a reference to your branded wedding website so guests can begin making plans as early as they like.
The save the date is great way to begin to introduce your guests to these details so we advise you have your website mostly done before the save the dates head out the door. That way you can include your website address on your save the dates and give your guests the inside scoop!
WHAT TO INCLUDE ON THE SAVE THE DATES
Save the dates should include all the details your guests need to know so they can start planning and getting excited!
- “SAVE THE DATES” (or come up with your own saying)
- The couple’s names
- Wedding date (or dates if it is a weekend wedding)
- Location – City & State
- Notice for the formal invitation to follow
- Website address
MAIL THE SAVE THE DATES
Now for the fun part, sticking these bad boys in the mail! To make your job a little easier, you can use personalized return address labels. But, it’s always nice to hand write your guests addresses. (Or if you have us tackle the save the dates, your guests’ & return addresses can be digitally printed to match the save the date. AWESOME!) This will give each of your save the dates a little extra touch that your guests will notice.
Once you’ve got all the envelopes labeled, stamped, and sealed, pop ’em in the mail box. Make sure you send out those save the dates 4-6 months before the actual wedding date. For a destination wedding or wedding on or near a major holiday, we recommend the save the dates be sent 6-8 months in advance.
Mailing out your save the dates as early as possible gives you and your guests plenty of time to prepare for the wedding date. Your guests will be able to arrange travel, ask for time off of work, and arrange pet or child sitting.
Make sure you keep a few spare save the dates in case of mail emergencies (lost in the mail, returned due to wrong address, or last minute additions) and so you can have a small keepsake of the beginning of your wedding planning process!
BONUS TIPS!
Save yourself some trouble and send save the dates to every guest that is invited to the wedding. Save the dates aren’t meant to just be sent to out-of-town guests.
Address the save the dates appropriately. For example, if children are welcome, address the save the date to ‘The Smith Family’. If children are not welcome, address it to ‘John and Jane Smith’. In addition, if you know your cousin has a serious boyfriend, but you don’t know his name – find out! That way it is totally clear to your guests who is invited.
Wanna learn more tips about the wedding planning process? Check out our GIRL TALK SERIES for more!
Tell us! What’s been your biggest struggle when sending out your save the dates?
